About Ranson Financial

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Ranson Financial has created 23849 blog entries.

Wichita-area tornado survivors want a siren after EF-3 twister struck without warning

Dale Angleton said he had just heard the “all-clear” from a Wichita TV news station when his nephew Ron Bradford burst through the front door. “Tornado!” Bradford said. It was the only warning Angleton would receive Friday night before a house on 31st Street that has been in his family since 1972 collapsed on top of him. Bradford grabbed his uncle and pushed him into a bedroom, where the two men hit the floor right as the tornado struck the house.
Source: Wichita Eagle

2022-05-06T07:25:39-05:00May 6, 2022|News|

One-dollar raise coming for Lyon County 911 dispatchers

The big number for Lyon County emergency dispatchers Thursday may not have been 911, but $1.00. The county commission accepted a proposal to provide dispatchers with a one dollar-per-hour raise. The starting pay for some of them will increase as well. The commission did not vote on the raises, after hearing from Emergency Communications Director Roxanne Van Gundy. Chair Rollie Martin said it wasn’t necessary. “As long as she can work it within her budget this year, we said go ahead,” Martin explained after the weekly meeting. … She added that the raise “keeps us competitive for future applicants and also shows our existing, loyal staff that we see the hard work they are doing.”
Source: Emporia Gazette

2022-05-06T07:25:09-05:00May 6, 2022|News|

Wichita schools to discontinue universal free lunches, preserve free breakfast next year

Wichita Public Schools will discontinue its universal free lunch program while preserving free breakfast for all students during the 2022-23 school year. School nutrition funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In March, Congress let a pandemic relief waiver program lapse that had provided for schools across the country to offer all meals to students for free over the past two school years. “I think we all want our kids to be able to come to school and get food, but this is not something that we had a choice in,” Wichita school board member Sheril Logan said at Monday evening’s meeting.
Source: Wichita Eagle

2022-05-06T07:24:03-05:00May 6, 2022|News|

Prairie Village to implement two 14-day limits per year on storage pods as of July 1

Prairie Village will impose new citywide storage pod limits beginning July 1. Some residents and businesses are keeping portable storage units on their properties for extended periods, causing a recent increase in complaints. A newly approved ordinance means storage pods usage needs to adhere to the following starting July 1: A limit of two 14-day periods per year; Placed at least 10-feet back from the curb, in a spot that doesn’t obstruct traffic visibility.
Source: Prairie Village Post

2022-05-06T07:23:44-05:00May 6, 2022|News|

Douglas County sheriff uses own trauma to encourage others to seek help

May is mental health awareness month. The sheriff in Douglas County, Kansas, knows a healthy deputy means a healthy community. Studies show, 6% of the general population experience PTSD. That number is much higher among first responders at 20%. Sheriff Jay Armbrister takes his own trauma to encourage his employees to seek help. The sheriff’s office has taken their Peer Support Program from six members to now 18.This voluntary group of people, both uniformed and civilians, stepped forward to be trained on peer support.
Source: KSN-TV

2022-05-06T07:22:44-05:00May 6, 2022|News|

ACLU settles diversion-agreement lawsuit with Montgomery County prosecutor’s office

The Montgomery County attorney settled a lawsuit with the ACLU by agreeing to create new policies to inform defendants of their right under Kansas law to seek diversion agreements. The American Civil Liberties Union settled a lawsuit filed five years ago against prosecutors in Montgomery County for disproportionately seeking harsh sentences for defendants posing nominal risk to the public by declining to make available diversion program alternatives required under Kansas law. The ACLU and ACLU of Kansas said Thursday the settlement was finalized with Montgomery County Attorney Lisa Montgomery, who operates out of the county seat in Independence. She agreed to adopt new policies on deferring prosecution in criminal cases, expanding eligibility for diversion programs and improving flow of information on this alternative to defendants.
Source: Kansas Reflector

2022-05-06T07:22:02-05:00May 6, 2022|News|

The pandemic shrunk Kansas public school enrollment and that means cuts in education budgets

Kansas public schools feel the pinch of enrollment losses that came with the COVID-19 pandemic — and it could mean fewer teachers, bigger classes and widespread budget cuts. The number of students enrolled in Kansas public schools dropped by more than 15,000 since the start of the pandemic, according to state data. Some of those students may have moved out of state, but many likely turned to homeschooling or online education. Federal COVID relief money helped districts cover shortfalls at the start. But longer-term student losses will mean less state funding. “We will have to start to reduce the budget footprint, because the student footprint is down,” said Susan Willis, chief financial officer for the state’s largest district, in Wichita. “And it appears to be more permanently down, and not just a one-year COVID anomaly.” Wichita’s enrollment has dropped by more than 7% over the past six years. Some of that came from declining birth rates and shifting housing patterns. But COVID worsened the problem, especially in preschool and kindergarten.
Source: KCUR News

2022-05-06T07:21:21-05:00May 6, 2022|News|

Pittsburg to directly contract with KDHE

A new partnership has been formalized in Southeast Kansas. The City of Pittsburg has entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. This will allow KDHE to provide environmental services to the city on a per-project basis. Deputy City Manager Jay Byers says Pittsburg will now contract directly with KDHE, and benefit from the organization’s relationship with the Environmental Protection Agency. “It makes it easier for us to get the work done. They have connections to contractors. They have some capabilities in-house and a great deal of familiarity with this kind of work so that way the city can work with the state so we can get these projects done and probably more cheaply,” Byers said.
Source: KSNF/KODE

2022-05-06T07:18:18-05:00May 6, 2022|News|

Kansas ‘waiting’ on billion-dollar megaproject decision

It’s been nearly four months since Kansas lawmakers signed off on a bid to attract a $4 billion business investment from a secret company. While state leaders have been quiet about the details of the project, including the prolonged timeline, according to Secretary of Commerce and Lieutenant Governor David Toland, the state is still in the running to secure the deal. “We’re just watching and waiting,” Toland said in an interview this week.
Source: KSNT 27 News

2022-05-06T07:17:49-05:00May 6, 2022|News|
Go to Top